Bios

Zach with his wife and their two sons.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Financial Advisor. Missions with C4C: Nepal 2017 (Sept.).
How long have you climbed? Recreationally since a young kid. Formally only a few times over the last couple of years. Type of climbing you do: Amateur and I stress amateur top-rope, bouldering, and mountaineering. Highlight of climbing career: Signing up to go to Nepal with Climbing For Christ.
How long have you been a Christian? 17 years. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Home-church gathering and community evangelism. Blessed to host, counsel, an...
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Mark working on the annual Brian Kimble Memorial Habitat Day in Rochester, NY, USA.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Engineer. Missions with C4C: Malawi 2017.
How long have you climbed? Occasional hikes. Type of climbing you do: Recreational. Highlight of climbing career: Climbing one of the high peaks in the Adirondacks with my sons. Also hiking around national parks in Utah (especially Zion) with my daughter.
How long have you been a Christian? As long as I can remember. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Teaching adult Bible classes.
Favorite Scripture verse (and why): Two ...
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Dave working the jackhammer on a Habitat for Humanity project in Rochester, NY.
Nationality: USA. Occupation: Electrical engineer. Missions with C4C: Malawi 2017.
How long have you climbed? 32 years. Type of climbing you do: Corporate (Just kidding!!). Highlight of climbing career: I have no climbing career.
How long have you been a Christian? I was blessed to be born into a family that loves Jesus. Some of my earliest memories are church related. When I was 6, my Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Oxenford, used a popcorn popper to illustrate how the Holy Spirit takes a hard heart and m...
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Nationality: American. Occupation: Collegiate Disciple Maker, Encourager & Backcountry trip leader. Missions with C4C: Peru 2015 and 2017; Philippines 2013 and 2014, and Mission: Possible 6.
How long have you climbed? Since childhood. Type of climbing you do: Hiking, backpacking, mountaineering. Highlight of climbing career: Peru 2015 pushed my physical limits far beyond what I imagined possible. It showed me the mind is really what stops me in life. That translated back to life at home, inspiring me to continue pushing myself physically and with my faith, not allowing my mental boundar...
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Nationality: USA. Occupation: Collegiate minister with Christian Challenge at Fort Lewis College, Climbing For Christ Western Slope Coordinator, ski instructor. Missions with C4C: Peru 2014, 2015 and 2017; Philippines 2013 and 2014, and “Possible” 2009, 2010 and 2011.
How long have you climbed? Since my freshman year in high school. Type of climbing you do: mountaineering, rock, bouldering, canyoneering, spelunking, hiking. Highlight of climbing career: One of my favorite climbs was summiting Mount Sneffels, a 14,000-foot peak nearby with my wife Rachel. My other was probably cl...
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Lexi at the top of Ice Lakes near Silverton, CO.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Student/stagehand at Durango Community Concert Hall. Missions with C4C: Peru 2017.
How long have you climbed? My whole life! Type of climbing you do: Hiking, backpacking, and the occasional spelunking. Highlight of climbing career: Either Big Bend National Park in 2011 or Ice Lakes in Colorado in September 2016.
How long have you been a Christian? I’ve been a Christian my entire life, but only started taking my faith seriously in September 2016. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Pre...
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Claudia, right, helping a friend on Climbing For Christ’s Heritage hike in the Adirondacks in October 2016.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Social worker. I work with people struggling with mental illness and addiction. Missions with C4C: Nepal 2017.
How long have you climbed? Since college, and that is a loooong time ago. About 40 years. Type of climbing you do: Mostly dayhikes in the Adirondacks. My favorite is slide climbing, non-technical friction climbing. Highlight of climbing career: Perhaps climbing Mont Blanc.
How long have you been a Christian? I was baptized as an in...
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Megh on Mission: Nepal 2013 in front of a church in Nepal’s Mid-West that he and Climbing For Christ helped build.
Nationality: Nepalese. Occupation: Worker to expand the Kingdom of God and guide leading trekking teams all over Nepal and Tibet. Missions with C4C: Nepal 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 (although Climbing For Christ was introduced to Megh in 2008).
How long have you climbed? Ten years. Type of climbing you do: Trekking. Helping Climbing For Christ when teams are in Nepal and doing the follow-up for those who are saved through C4C.
Highlight of climbing career:...
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Mitch on Cascade Mountain in New York’s Adirondacks. (Photo by Hayley Fallesen)
Nationality: Canadian. Occupation: Student. Missions with C4C: Nepal 2017.
How long have you climbed? I have loved to climb anything I could, and even some that I could not, since I was young. This passion for climbing continues to this day! Type of climbing you do: Trekking, rock climbing, hiking. Highlight of climbing career: Climbing in the Rocky Mountains in 2009 and Adirondacks with Hayley Fallesen in 2016.
How long have you been a Christian? All my life. Type of ministry you are blessed to se...
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Summit selfie: Jesse with his fiancé Stephanie in New York’s High Peaks in August 2016.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Supervisor, University of Rochester Medical Center supply chain. Missions with C4C: Mexico 2005, Dominican Republic/Haiti 2005, Kilimanjaro 2007, China 2008, Peru 2011, and Nepal 2016.
How long have you climbed? 20 years. Type of climbing you do: Mountaineering/hiking. Highlight of climbing career: Most recently, summiting Mount Marcy (New York State’s Adirondacks) with my fiancé Stephanie.
How long have you been a Christian? Since ba...
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Chris Joseph on a survey trip to the Koma Hills in 2011.
Nationality: Nigerian. Occupation: Clergy. Missions with Climbing For Christ: Nigeria 2011 and 2016.
How long have you climbed? Since 2011. Type of climbing you do: Hiking and trekking. Highlight of climbing career: Climbing the Koma Hills.
How long have you been a Christian? Since 1988. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Apostolic, missions. and leadership training.
Favorite Scripture verse (and why): 2 Timothy 4:5. “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full ...
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Jim Doenges, right, with a backpacking class in Colorado’s Maroon Bells.
Nationality: USA. Occupation: Outdoor Minister/Teacher. Missions with C4C: Denali 2007; Haiti 2007; Kilimanjaro 2007, 2008 and 2016; Nepal 2008.
How long have you climbed? 38 years. Type of climbing you do: Mostly Class II-IV hiking, some winter mountaineering, occasional Class V rock (top rope), and lots of spiritual climbing (elevating!). Highlight of climbing career: Getting eight of nine teammates to the summit during Climbing for Christ’s Mission: Denali 2007.
How long have you been a Christia...
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Joe Trussell on Sajama in Bolivia.
Nationality: American (born in Bolivia). Occupation: Lead pastor. Missions with C4C: Ararat 2013 and Kilimanjaro 2016.
How long have you climbed? More than 25 years. Type of climbing you do: Snow and ice in the past; now mostly trekking the Colorado 14ers. Highlight of climbing career: Summitting 21,463-foot Sajama in Bolivia.
How long have you been a Christian? Since age 6. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Pastoring; chairman of denomination’s World Missions Board.
Favorite Scripture verse (and why): Philippians 3:10-11. “I ...
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Michele Annibal on Mount Washington, NH, USA, which she summited in 70-plus mph winds and minus-50 windchill.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Health care industry consultant. Missions with C4C: Malawi 2014 and 2016.
How long have you climbed? Since 2010. Type of climbing you do: Trekking, backpacking, learning ice climbing. Highlight of climbing career: Summiting Kilimanjaro (highest I’ve done) and Mount Washington (summited in the worst weather I’ve experienced!).
How long have you been a Christian? Since 1993. Type of ministry you are blessed to serve in: Children’s ...
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Elaine Fallesen, front row center, with Michele Annibal, Damson Samson and the orphans supported by Climbing For Christ’s Project 1:27 in Malawi in 2014.
Nationality: USA. Occupation: Marketing Associate for MVP Health Care. Missions with C4C: Ararat 2014 and 2015; Haiti 2008 and 2009; Kilimanjaro 2011, Malawi 2014, 2016 and 2017, and Nepal 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
How long have you climbed? Since the early ’90s when our kids were small and we began discovering as a family the beautiful outdoors. Type of climbing you do: Climbing in His direction. Highlight of climbin...
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Hayley Fallesen sharing love of Jesus with Kurdish children on Mission: Ararat 2013.
Nationality: American. Occupation: College student, professional ice-cream scooper and babysitter/nanny. Missions with C4C: Turkey 2013, Peru 2014, Tanzania 2014, Malawi 2016, and Nepal 2017.
How long have you climbed? I’ve been blessed to hike mountains of the world since I was a young girl. Type of climbing you do: Trekking, hiking and rock climbing. Highlight of climbing career: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2014 and sharing the experience with my dad.
How long have you been a Christian? My whol...
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Adrianne on knife ridge to Gray’s and Torrey’s in Colorado.
Nationality: American. Occupation: Government worker. Missions with C4C: Morocco 2015 and Nepal 2012.
How long have you climbed? About 13 years – since I’ve known Chris (her husband). Type of climbing you do: Hiking, mostly. Colorado Fourteeners (once Chris took me on a Level 3 section and I survived!), Appalachian trail and similar. Highlight of climbing career: Skooching across the knife ridge on my way up to Gray’s and Torrey’s peaks (see Level 3 reference above).
How long have you been a...
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Larry DeMejo on Cascade Mountain in New York’s Adirondack Mountains. (Photo by Jordan Rowley)
Nationality: USA. Occupation: I serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ full-time. I’m a retired chemical engineer. I worked as a research scientist at Eastman Kodak (30 years) and at General Electric (2 years). Missions with C4C: Peru 2015.
How long have you climbed? I climbed only one Adirondack peak in New York State with Climbing For Christ’s Jordan Rowley. Type of climbing you do: Trekking.
Highlight of climbing career: My time with Jordan.
How long have you been a Chris...
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Edwin Milla, right, with his brother Marco on the summit of 19,511-foot Alpamayo in Peru.
Nationality: Peruvian. Occupation: Mountain guide. Missions with C4C: Peru 2011, 2013, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
How long have you climbed? Since 15 years of age. Types of climbing you do: Ice and rock climbing.
Highlight of climbing career: Climbing Huandoy North (6,356 meters/19,685 feet). I was climbing alpine on a 1,400-meter wall on a rock-fall route. We began climbing at 10 p.m. on an ice route of 60-to-90 degrees, and getting to the top at 12 p.m. And then we took pictures and returned by the same ...
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Climbing for Christ

WARNING!
Activities described on this Web site carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. Do not participate in mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, bouldering, and hiking and trekking unless you are an expert, have sought and obtained qualified professional instruction or guidance, are knowledgeable about the risks involved, and are willing to assume personal responsibility for all risks associated with these activities.